Pakoras, Indian style veggie fritters, are an easy way to pack veggies into kid-friendly meals. And I can't think of a more delicious pakora fritter than these Swiss chard pakora fritters. They are light and airy and perfectly crispy. And they are loaded with good-for-you spices and chickpea flour. They are also vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free.
Green leafies make amazing pakoras, and some of you are likely familiar with methi pakoras, made with fenugreek leaves, and spinach pakoras. These Swiss chard pakoras are just as delicious and they are a great way to make use of a seasonal vegetable that's packed with nutrients.
I love Swiss chard as a gardener, a cook and a mom. It is one of the easiest leafies to grow and it is so easy to cook. Its mild flavor makes it easy to get past finicky palates. I throw it into dals, curries, sabzis and it cooks down in barely any time at all. But these fritters are easily my favorite way to eat and feed chard to my family. What's not to love about spicy, golden deliciousness?
The fritters are also so easy to make. Chop the chard, toss it with a few spices, chickpea flour (besan) and rice flour, and fry them up. You can also make these with less oil or air-fry them. They are great every way!
This recipe makes a ton of fritters, so if you are cooking for a smaller family or just for yourself, use the servings slider in the recipe card to scale down the recipe.
Table of Contents
Why you will love these Swiss chard fritters
- They are the ultimate comfort food: crispy, savory and so, so satisfying. They make the perfect appetizer or snack, and they will be the best pakoras you ever eat, guaranteed!
- They are easy! If you've made pakoras before you know that this is a pretty easy process. Ditto for the Swiss chard fritters. One bowl is all you need to mix everything up.
- They are packed with nutrients. Deep fried fritters are not health food but even so the ingredients in these fritters are all good for you. Swiss chard is one of the healthiest leafies you can eat. It has vitamins A, C, and K, and it is a good source of magnesium, iron and potassium. The chickpea flour is loaded with fiber and protein and there are a few vibrant spices in here too, including cumin and carom seeds, turmeric and garam masala.
- They are suitable for any diet. These are vegan, gluten-free, soy-free and nut-free, so everyone can eat them!
Ingredients for Swiss chard fritters recipe
- 10-12 leaves of Swiss chard. Any color is fine.
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cups chickpea flour (besan)
- ½ cup rice flour. You can just add more chickpea flour if you don't want to use this, but the rice flour helps add more crispiness.
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds) + 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera).
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder, like cayenne or paprika.
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves. You can skip these if you wish but they add a nice flavor)
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (optional. Gives the pakoras an airier texture)
- Salt to taste
How to make Swiss chard fritters
- Coarsely powder the cumin seeds and carom seeds (ajwain) in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Set aside.
- Heat oil for frying in a wok or frying pan or deep fryer. Between 325 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit is the best temperature for frying these fritters.
- Place the chopped Swiss chard and onions in a large mixing bowl. Add the chickpea flour, rice flour, coarsely ground cumin and carom seeds, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ground coriander, cilantro baking soda and kasoori methi, if using, to the bowl.
- Add salt to taste.
- Mix the ingredients and then slowly drizzle in enough water, mixing as you do so, until all the leafies are evenly coated with the flour and spices. You don't want a very loose batter. It should hold together tentatively when you press it together.
- Place small portions of the batter into the hot oil, being very careful as you do so. You can do this with a spoon. Don't overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the fritters until they are golden-brown on each side but don't let them overbrown--pakoras continue to darken a bit after you take them out of the oil.
- Place the pakoras in a colander lined with paper towels.
- Eat hot!
Frequently asked questions
You can serve pakoras by themselves, they don't really need a sauce, but if you want to take things up a notch you can serve these with a mint chutney.
You can make pakoras with nearly any leafy green, from kale to spinach to more traditional Indian favorites like methi or fenugreek leaves. Follow the rest of the recipe and swap out the greens.
Pakoras are best eaten right after they are made. That's when they are very crispy and light. But if you have leftovers you can reheat them in the toaster or the air fryer. Heat at 350 degrees for 2-4 minutes or until heated through and crispy again.
You can refrigerate the pakoras for up to four days. Or freeze them for up to three months. Reheat in the toaster oven or air fryer as described above.
More yummy vegan recipes
Swiss Chard Fritters
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10-12 leaves Swiss chard (chop into thin ribbons, then run the knife once again through the leaves at a right angle to chop the ribbons into smaller pieces)
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 2 cups chickpea flour (besan)
- ½ cup rice flour
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red chilli powder (like cayenne or paprika, for less heat)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon baking soda (optional, but gives the pakoras an airier texture)
- 1 tablespoon kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves, optional))
- 2 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)
- Salt to taste
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Coarsely powder the cumin seeds and carom seeds (ajwain) in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder. Set aside.
- Heat oil for frying in a wok or frying pan or deep fryer. You should have enough oil to immerse the pakoras completely. Between 325 and 350 degrees is the best temperature to fry these fritters.
- Place the chopped Swiss chard and onions in a large mixing bowl. Add the chickpea flour, rice flour, coarsely ground cumin and carom seeds, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ground coriander, cilantro, and dried fenugreek seeds and baking soda, if using, to the bowl.
- Add salt to taste.
- Mix the ingredients and then slowly drizzle in enough water, mixing as you do so, until all the leafies are evenly coated with the flour and spices. You don't want a very loose batter. It should hold together tentatively when you press it together.
- Place small portions of the batter into the hot oil, being very careful as you do so. You can do this with a spoon. Don't overcrowd the pan.
- Fry the fritters until they are golden-brown on each side but don't let them overbrown--pakoras continue to darken a bit after you take them out of the oil.
- Place the pakoras in a colander lined with paper towels.
- Eat hot!
Recipe notes
- For the nutritional info I assumed that the pakoras absorbed ½ cup vegetable oil during deep frying. But as you can see, even with that assumption, a serving of approximately six pakoras has under 150 calories and 4 grams of protein.
- If you are eating low carb you can skip the rice flour and add more chickpea flour instead. That would cut down net carbs to 10 grams per serving.
- For the crispiest pakoras maintain the oil at a temperature between 325 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mindy
Hello. Want to give these a try as we have lots of lovely chard. has anyone tried baking them? 🙂
Suzanne Benson
I can't eat chickpea flour so what would be a good substitute... thanks
Vaishali
You can use just rice flour, or use a mix of rice and all purpose flour.
Sheri
Hi, this sounds delicious. If you want to make the Swiss chard fritters in the air fryer instead of on the stovetop, how would you do that, please?
Vaishali
You can air-fry at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. Make the batter thick enough so the pakoras hold together firmly (or the batter will drip through the holes) and flatten them a bit after placing in the air fryer basket. Spray with oil. Flip once halfway through air frying.